


Everything Carries Me To You

by Spitfire007



Series: The Mad King Anthology [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M, Side Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-28
Updated: 2013-11-28
Packaged: 2018-01-02 21:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1061651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spitfire007/pseuds/Spitfire007
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Side story to A Simple Souvenir of Someone's Kill. Long before Theron's civil war forces them apart , Ray meets Dan at the council following the death of the Eldest Prince and General Radulf.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything Carries Me To You

Ray pushes open the heavy, wooden door into the council chamber. The loud creak of the old hinges echoes in the dark room filling the young adviser with even more dread. He closes the door behind him with a ragged sigh. Normally, he looked forward to the councils because of the new information that was brought in. His addiction to learning meant that he wanted to know every single detail about the lands around the King’s Castle in Wetiakker. But the information that was coming from this council meeting wasn’t any Ray was looking forward to absorbing.

However, that was why he was in the council chamber so early. He wanted to make sure that the chamber didn’t look as foreboding as it currently felt. Honestly, he could have had a castle servant do this, but this situation called for a personal touch. He walks around the chamber, his soft cloth shoes making only a slight wisp of sound against the stone floors. As he begins to pull the huge curtains away from the windows, sunlight cuts into the white stone room illuminating  the gold embossed council table surrounded by six large, high backed chairs. He makes short work of opening the curtains on the other three windows, and suddenly, the room doesn’t look as gloomy as before.

“It’s a start,” Ray whispers to the quiet room. He opens his leather satchel and takes out the three maps and various other pieces of parchment that will be necessary for the meeting. He pulls out his usual chair seated at the right of the King, who was seated at the head of the table. Ray sighs as he looks across the table to where the Eldest Prince usually sat. The Prince always made some joke about Ray being at the right of the King and how the crowned prince sat at the left.

_“It’s a good seat for you. We all know that I am not the smartest in the bunch.”_

Ray swallows down the lump of emotion in his throat as he remembers the Eldest Prince’s soft voice. His eyes shift to the three other chairs at the table beside his own. The chair to Ray’s right was where the Young Prince sat, though he seldom paid attention. He was the same age as Ray at eighteen summers but acted much younger. It seemed as if he didn’t have the time or the patience to listen to such important information.

The chair across from the Young Prince was where the Northern Edge’s Second sat. Ryan, the General’s son, had been sitting there for as long as Ray could remember. Ray had only been the King’s Advisor for a year now, but he had been the apprentice to the previous advisor since childhood. He had spent countless days of his youth standing quietly at the advisor’s side as the King held his councils.

Ray’s finally looks at the chair directly across from the king. It was where the General of the Northern Edge sat. The King had such great affection for General Radulf. Ray wasn’t sure if it was because of how his army protected the King’s people, or if he just enjoyed the General as a person. Either way, Ray knew that this council would be difficult for everyone. He grips the piece of paper in his hands before reading over it for what seems like the thousandth time.

 

_My King,_

_I regret to inform you that your eldest son, Crown Prince Skylar, was killed along with General Radulf this morning._

_None of the western warriors were able to escape alive._

_Second Ryan has sent the head of your son’s killer. He wishes to send his deepest sympathy to you and your family._

_We will arrive as soon as everything is settled here,_

_Dan of the Northernborn_

  
  


Ray rolls the message back up and slips it back into his satchel. He can hear voices coming from down the hallway. Ray straightens up, smoothing the maps in front of him as he wills his face to not reflect his heartbroken mood.

“Make sure the funeral pyre is fit for him. We will have it tonight.” Ray hears the King command and then sees a quick flash of someone running off to do his bidding.

“My King,” Ray says, bowing as the King walks in. The King smiles softly when he sees Ray. Today, his golden crown seems as if it is laying more heavily on top of his short black hair. He looks much older than he usually does.

“I was hoping to be the first one here,” the King says quietly, as if he is slightly nervous to hear the echo of his own voice in this room.

“I am sorry, My King. I only wanted to have everything ready for when we began,” Ray apologizes.

“There is no reason for you to be, Ray. The time alone would have only left me with my own thoughts,” the King replies, shaking his head.

“I am truly sorry about The Eldest Prince Skylar, my King,” Ray offers; feeling his heart constrict in his chest. The King nods, mouthing a soft ‘thank you’, but turns when he hears voices coming from behind them. The Young Prince Samael and his half brother Geoff walk into the council chamber.

“There isn’t any need for you to get upset with me, Geoff. I only asked because I wanted to know if I was going to keep the title The Young Prince.” Samael goes quiet when his father sends a glare his way.

“You will still be standing, Geoff,” The King quickly says when he sees Geoff.

“Of course, my King. I would never think of sitting at the council table,” Geoff replies. Ray offers him a sympathetic smile. He had no idea how Geoff always had such grace when it seemed like most of the castle always threw the fact that he was the King’s Bastard in his face.

The Young Prince pulls out the chair across from Ray and is about to sit down when a loud _THUNK_! echoes in the room.

“Do not think so highly of yourself that you can take his place so quickly!” The King yells, his hand gripping the table where he had hit the hard surface.  

The Young Prince moves away from the chair with a slight pout forming on his lips, he walks around the table and takes his usual seat. Ray presses the bridge of his nose with fingertips trying to combat the building stress. He didn’t want to think badly of The Young Prince but so often, he caused Ray’s head to throb with tension.

“Ryan,” Geoff’s voice is soft but it pulls Ray out of his negative thoughts, making him turn and look to see the Second-- _no_ \--General Ryan walk through the door. He would be General Ryan now that his father had been killed. It was such a hard reality to stomach.

“My King, The Young Prince.” Ryan bows, his new red cape, which he must have inherited from his father, is now clasped firmly on his shoulders. Honestly, much to Ray’s amazement, Ryan only looks as if he has lost a night’s sleep instead of showing the stress of being the new caretaker for the entire Northern Edge and having lost his father.

Geoff walks over to Ryan, clasping his forearm in the customary Northern fashion. He doesn’t seem as if he can say anything. Geoff’s affection for Ryan was whispered about in dark passageways of the castle. Ray hopes that they would have time to speak later today, since the condolences seem unable to come out of Geoff’s mouth.  Ryan smiles anyway, nodding in acknowledgement as he walks over to his usual chair. His fingers wrap around the high back of the plush red chair before he realizes his mistake. He moves then to the chair where his father sat for so many years, opposite the King.

“Dan, you will be sitting here,” Ryan instructs. “My King, this is Dan of the Blood Rose Clan. He is now the Northern Edge’s Second.”

Ray turns to see the man who will now sit across from The Young Prince and who wrote the letter informing the King of his son’s death. All his expectations fall instantly out of his head as he looks at the young man walking into the chamber.

Dan is a few inches taller than him with short dark brown hair. His square jaw has a strong dusting of hair along it. Ray is not sure if this look was from not having the time to shave or if this is his prefered look. His eyes are dark as they survey the room. They land on Ray briefly. But sadly not long enough, because Dan is already walking over to what will now be his chair.

Normally, Ray doesn’t pay attention to what people wore, but there is something about the way Dan moves in his clothing that makes Ray feel the need to memorize every single element. Luckily for him, his memory is exceptional. Many people spoke of how Ray could recall the smallest detail as if he had painted the scene in his head when it had happened.

Dan’s heavy boots cause a loud _thud, thud_ as he walks across the stone. The faint jingle of several buckles can be heard echoing from around the leather shoes. His dark linen trousers hang loosely off thick thighs. Two different belts cross his hips, holding large swords on both sides. Ray has never seen anyone carry two swords before, he wondered if Dan used them together or separately. The Second’s black tunic bore the image of a dark red rose on top of a silver shield. The insignia of the Northern Edge’s Blood Rose Clan was one of the most recognizable in Theron.

Ray feels something fall off a perfectly balanced spot in the back of his mind. His palms begin to sweat as he watches Dan sit down in his chair. He seems slightly uneasy in this setting; constantly looking to Ryan for cues. His long fingers come to rest on the gold embossed table. Ray can tell that his nails are dirty from where he is sitting. He wonders if they were able to get a good wash, from all the blood and dirt of the battlefield, before they came here.

“Adviser, it seems that everyone is here,” the King prods, causing Ray to slightly jump in his seat. He realizes that all the men around the table are now looking at him.

“My apologies. Let’s begin the council on what happened at the battle and where we are to go from here,” Ray says, beginning the discussion.

He curses the new Second for distracting him under his breath. Then he curses the gods, because the voice that comes out of Dan’s mouth makes his bones feel as if they were made of sand.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ray has found his favorite spot outside of the castle, but not outside of the walls. It is a small apple tree that overlooks one of the King’s personal vegetable fields. They held such a positive feeling for him. He remembered when he wasn’t studying to be the next adviser, he was running through them, as happy as a lark. Those summers of his youth, before he began to understand how taxing running a kingdom could be, were full of nothing but laughter and reading under this exact same tree.

“I thought I would find you here,” a voice says behind him causing him to jump; throwing the papers in his hand that he was reviewing. “You are so jumpy.”

“Pardon me!” Ray growls slightly under his breath, turning around to see who had interrupted his limited free time.

“You’re excused. Though you should really work on getting your hearing checked. You never know when someone could sneak up and put a knife to your throat,” Dan, the Second of the Northern Army, says from behind him. He’s smiling slightly when Ray turns to meet his eyes.

“I...don’t have to worry about someone doing that to me here inside the castle walls.” Ray insists as he begins to pick up his papers. Dan comes from around the tree, bending down to help him gather them up.

“Of course you do. You never know where an enemy might be hiding.”

“Well you can kill them then,” Ray huffs feeling Dan’s fingertips brush against his. This only seems to encourage the other man more.

“Are you still unhappy about what happened after the council,” Dan asks, his fingers lingering over Ray’s for far too long. He suddenly wishes that his fingertips weren’t exposed in his leather gloves. They helped ease the pain he felt whenever he wasn’t writing. The Castle’s doctor said it was something to do with how often his fingers were bent in writing and how hard he pressed down on the quill. Still, Dan’s finger runs his fingers up Ray’s until the warm flesh meets soft leather.

“You ran after me yelling,” Ray states, pulling his hand away.

“That’s because I tried to get your name but you were walking too fast and couldn’t hear me.” Dan smiles, sitting down cross legged in front of the young adviser much to Ray’s annoyance. The long sleeved undershirt was now gone to cope with the heat of the sun leaving Dan in his black tunic and trousers. His swords, however, were still firmly in place on either side of his hips.

“I’m not sure if the North are always so forward but we are not like that here. You could have asked your General my name instead of chasing after me down the King’s hall shouting for everyone to hear you.” Ray feels slightly exposed in his short tunic, brown trousers, and bare feet. He would much rather be wearing his usual deep blue and white long tunic and his short cape with golden trim. His blue trousers are a hit with everyone in the castle. He deeply wishes he looked as impressive as he usually did in court. Currently, he just feels like a lowborn.

Dan, however, looks at him as if he is in the royal purples. “I didn’t have time to think clearly. I just wanted to know your name.”

“Well you know it now so...why are you here,” Ray questions, not understanding why he feels so offended and flattered at the same time.

“You told me that you were busy and that we could talk later when I asked if you wanted to take a walk with me. So I waited until you didn’t look busy,” Dan explains.

“Wait, have you been following me?”

“In between duties.”

“What for,” Ray demands, pulling his legs closer to him so they aren’t barely brushing against the Nothernborn’s.

Dan looks absolutely stunned. He turns to look over his shoulder as if Ray is addressing someone else. The Second squints slightly as his gaze comes back to Ray.

“Because I like you. I wish to pair with you.” Dan says it simply, but Ray’s whole body stiffens in response.

_Pair with him?!_ Everything suddenly surges to the left leaving Ray dizzy and confused. All the words he could manage to think of are drowning in the saliva on his tongue. Surely, this strong, and, admittedly, incredibly handsome, Northernborn would want to be with anyone else. **_Anyone_** else. Ray was nothing that a Northernborn looked for. They paired with strong, fearsome men and women. They had sturdy children who could handle the bitter cold of Northern Winters. Ray detested violence, the sheer sight of blood made him faint, his own included. He was not brave or even remotely fearsome. He read books in the sun and laid in the cool grass cloud watching. He certainly never could raise a child in the Northern Edge, let alone survive himself. He had never even left the castle walls! For the gods’ sake, this had to be some sort of cruel joke.

“I don’t find you or this conversation amusing in the slightest and I wish you would leave me alone,” Ray manages, his fingers shaking slightly as he tries to pin down the rage he feels.

“Amusing? No, I don’t find it amusing either. Not really, though how small your toes are is amusing to me,” Dan muses, moving a hand to them before Ray scrambles to stand up to get out of his reach. Dan watches him with lazy, unaggressive eyes. His movements are slow as if Ray might startle. He stands carefully, placing a hand on the tree next to Ray’s left ear. “I am completely serious. Northernborns do not tease about their pairbonds. I would like to take you for a walk...outside of the castle walls before you refuse me completely.”

Ray can’t decide what he is more terrified of now. The thought of going outside of the castle’s walls, which had been his home for as long as he could remember, or accepting to pair with a Northernborn. It, of course, wasn’t unheard of but Ray had always felt that he would never pair with anyone, let alone with the Second!.

“Maybe a walk inside the walls? You could show me around the castle?” Dan offers. _No, he compromises_. Ray thinks. The uneasy feelings fall away a little more, letting Ray catch his breath.

“Yes, yes, I think that would be okay.” Ray smiles. He can’t believe he is even agreeing to this after he was so sure that Dan was a pushy, overconfident Nothernborn who didn’t know any Lowland manners. There was some sort of proverb about looks being deceiving or something like that but Ray couldn’t remember it right now. His mind is elsewhere. Currently, it is with the way Dan’s eyes are flicking up and down his body as if they are memorizing every inch of him.

“I won’t ask you for the walk today since you seem so caught up in your reading, which I apologize for interrupting. But tomorrow?” Dan asks, his hand falling but catching on Ray’s hip making the other man twitch slightly under such strong hands.

Keep your voice strong. Keep your eyes on his. You can do this. The voice reassures Ray that he will be able to have the same cool air as Dan when he speaks his next words.  

“Y--y-yees.” _Oh for fuck’s sake_. Ray wants to scream. Curse his body and everything it did. He sounds like a giggling twelve year old.

“Excellent.” Dan grins but much to Ray’s relief, he doesn’t tease him about that loud crack in Ray’s voice or the way he is blushing so brightly that his cheeks are nearly the same color as the rose on Dan’s tunic.

“I look forward to it,” Ray say more firmly this time. _There you go_. He praises himself. Honestly, all his training on manners should have kicked in. He knows how to speak formally to someone.

“Me too.”

Ray opens his mouth to say something else. Begging to have the last word, at least some small victory of self control. But it is all ruined when Dan leans in and Ray feels rough, cracked lips press against his own. They both exhale deeply as Dan’s fingers grip into Ray’s tunic, pulling him closer. Ray can’t think or do anything as he feels his whole body buzzing. His fingers move to touch what feels like the most incredible body ever known to man. Dan felt like he was solid muscle. God, Ray wanted nothing more than to lay against that strong chest and do nothing but watch the clouds flow by all day. _Was this feeling what all those songs about true love were talking about?_ A soft, happy huff escapes Dan’s mouth and is swallowed deeply into Ray’s throat. Finally, they pull away after the lightest nip to Ray’s lower lip.

“Tomorrow then,” Dan breathes lightly. Ray can see that his eyes have gotten darker and his chest is taking long, ragged breaths. So he does have an effect on the warrior after all. The smile that breaks Ray’s face is so bright that Dan has to echo it with his one of his own.

“Tomorrow. Don’t...don’t…,” Ray starts, but his tongue is still stumbling.

“Don’t?”

“Do anything that might make you miss our walk tomorrow,” Ray finishes quickly. He feels like a fool after the words come spilling out. Dan only nods, still smiling as he lifts Ray’s chin with his calloused fingers. He lays the softest kiss onto his lips and then turns walking back toward the castle.

Ray watches him go and his chest feels heavy. However, unlike the other day when he felt he wouldn’t be able to bear how much sadness was weighing him down, today felt like he was filled to the brim with air making him so light that he could spend all day laying on a cloud instead of staring at them from so far below.

Tomorrow brought a feeling that he had never thought he would feel. He willed the sun to go away for the first time in his life, just so that this day would end and he could see Dan again.


End file.
